Within the context of car collisions, these are financial awards exceeding the compensation for precise losses. Their major perform is to not reimburse the injured social gathering for medical payments, misplaced wages, or property injury. As a substitute, they serve to punish the at-fault social gathering for notably egregious habits and to discourage comparable conduct by others sooner or later. An instance can be a scenario the place a driver, with a identified historical past of reckless driving and a number of prior DUI convictions, causes an accident whereas severely intoxicated. The courtroom might decide that compensatory damages are inadequate and that extra penalties are essential to deal with the motive force’s willful and wanton disregard for the security of others.
The imposition of such awards is critical as a result of it reinforces societal requirements of accountable habits and gives a disincentive for actions that show gross negligence or intentional misconduct. Traditionally, these awards have been acknowledged as an important element of the authorized system’s skill to deal with dangerous habits that transcends mere carelessness. They spotlight the authorized system’s energy to not solely make victims entire but additionally to penalize wrongdoers who exhibit a blatant disregard for public security.
